A White House 'thank you'

Published 1:00 am, Thursday, July 29, 2010

Vice President Joe Biden addresses the troops at Fort Drum on July 28, 2010. The Vice President and his wife, Jill Biden, welcomed home the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, from Iraq. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Deputy Command Officer Mike Davey, of Peru, NY, holds his seven-year-old son Brandon with his wife, Lisa Davey, at his side as he waits for Vice President Joe Biden to speak at Fort Drum. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Deputy Command Officer Mike Davey, of Peru, NY, holds his...

Sgt. Omar Hammoud enjoys a Tootsie Pop with Payton Young, 5, and Madisyn, 7, all of Fort Drum, while they wait for Vice President Joe Biden to speak at Fort Drum in Fort Drum, NY on July 28, 2010. The girls sre daughters of Staff Sgt. Brian Young, who was sitting a few seats away. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Sgt. Omar Hammoud enjoys a Tootsie Pop with Payton Young, 5, and...

James Long of Pennsylvania talks to the press with his daughter Morgan, 1, and his wife, Barbara Long, at Fort Drum. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

James Long of Pennsylvania talks to the press with his daughter...

Sgt. James Blalack of Watertown gets a kiss from his wife, Milanie, as they wait for Vice President Joe Biden to speak at Fort Drum in Fort Drum. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Sgt. James Blalack of Watertown gets a kiss from his wife, Milanie,...

Vice President Joe Biden addresses the troops at Fort Drum on July 28, 2010. The Vice President welcomed home the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, from Iraq. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

FORT DRUM -- Vice President Joseph Biden flew to Fort Drum Wednesday to thank the Army's 2nd Brigade Combat Team for helping to bring the war in Iraq to a successful conclusion.

"One month from now American combat missions in Iraq will end," Biden said.

That brought a round of hearty applause and hollers from about 2,600 people, mostly uniformed military and their families, who were assembled in an enclosed hangar on the base of the 10th Mountain Division for the ceremony.

Biden added that by the end of 2011 all American forces are scheduled to leave Iraq and the country's security will be left in the hands of Iraqis.

"To all of you who have served in harm's way, I say, on behalf of the president, thank you. We are indebted to you, truly indebted to you," Biden said. Insurgents in Iraq "have failed because of you," he added.

Biden's plane landed at the North Country military base just after 1 p.m. He spoke for about 20 minutes after his wife, Jill Biden, introduced him to the crowd as a "military dad." The second couple's son, Beau Biden, a member of the Delaware Army National Guard, completed a year-long tour in Iraq in 2009.

"I know what you've sacrificed and I know what you've accomplished," the Vice President said during a speech in which he repeatedly thanked the troops and their families.

Members of the 2nd Brigade have been returning to the United States since June. Between 850 and 900 members remain in Iraq but are expected to return in the coming weeks. The soldiers were based in eastern Iraq to help train Iraqi national forces and police.

Maj. Timothy Hyde said the soldiers accomplished their goals three months ahead of schedule, and returned early.

The Iraqi military and national police "were way more competent than two years ago," said Sgt. Christian Webber, 25, who just returned from his second tour of Iraq. "We are ready to let go of that country completely," he added.

The combat team has joined in three deployments to Iraq and two to Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Mike Davey of Peru, Clinton County, went to Iraq in 2004-2005 and again this year. He, too, was surprised by the decrease in violence from previous years. Davey attended the Biden speech with his wife, Lisa, and seven-year-old son, Brandon.

"I'm awed that the vice president is here," Lisa Davey said. "I'm just really thrilled. It's a chance in a lifetime for my son to see him."

The Fort Drum homecoming will likely be repeated many times this summer, as the U.S. is scheduled to conclude its combat mission in Iraq on Aug. 31. That's when the Obama administration wants the number of troops in Iraq to number 50,000, down almost two-thirds from the approximately 145,000 troops that were stationed there when President Barack Obama and Biden took office.

The remaining troops will advise and assist Iraq's security forces, Biden said. All U.S. forces will leave Iraq by Dec. 31 of next year under an agreement between U.S. and Iraqi leaders.

"We're at a dawn of a new era right now," Biden said, referring to the current situation in Iraq.

Col. David Miller, who returned with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team about 10 days ago, said Biden's words would resonate with the soldiers for a long time.